The EU Summit of Heads of State and Government on Thursday called for the early approval of the negotiating framework prepared by the European Commission for Ukraine and Moldova.

In their conclusions from the first day of the summit, held in Brussels on Thursday, the EU leaders welcomed "the progress of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in advancing the necessary reforms on their EU path."

"Further to the submission of the draft negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the European Council invites the Council to swiftly adopt them and to take work forward without delay," the EU summit conclusions say.

For his part, European Council President Charles Michel expressed optimism about the next steps towards Ukraine's accession to the EU. He said that an intergovernmental conference with Ukraine, which is the actual start of membership negotiations, could still take place during the Belgian presidency of the EU Council by the end of June. 

This is what Ukraine and its supporters in the EU are hoping for. In July, Hungary's six-month presidency of the EU Council begins, which could slow down Kyiv's accession procedures.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reiterated Ukraine's desire to start accession talks with the EU in the first half of this year.

Both Ukraine and Brussels are working to ensure that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU officially commence no later than the end of June.

Read more in European Pravda's detailed article on the European Commission's draft negotiating framework for Ukraine, which will become the rules for the EU accession negotiations.